Steelers fans should give up criticizing Mike Tomlin for Lent

I don’t want to get all religious on you (believe me, that conversation usually doesn’t go well).

However, it is Lenten season, and for those who observe, it is a time for repentance, reflection, fasting and self-denial.

Speaking of conversations that normally don’t go well, ever try and have one with someone about Mike Tomlin, the Steelers head coach since the Year of our Lord, 2007?

Wow, talk about awkward. Talk about divisive. They say it’s not smart to discuss religion or politics at the dinner table or among polite company.

Ever try discussing Mike Tomlin? Yikes. Friends get unfriended on Facebook. People get blocked on Twitter. Folks get banned on Behind the Steel Curtain (and other sites).

It’s just not a pleasant topic. It’s like when Archie Bunker and Maude argued over Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

Maybe that’s why you should practice self-denial for the next 40 days and abstain from criticizing Tomlin.

Think about it, are you really hurting Tomlin when you call him “Dumblin”? Certainly not. He doesn’t care what you think of him. He’s too busy painting barns red.

Are you hurting your friends or family, however? Absolutely, you are. You’re driving a wedge between you and your loved ones. Every time you talk about Tomlin’s flaws, his shortcomings, his three playoff wins in 12 (almost 13) years, you’re inching closer to total alienation from the people you care about most.

Can’t you see that?

OK, maybe you’re not very religious. Fine. But it’s still quite fashionable to give up certain temptations during this time of year.

Some folks give up alcohol. Others abstain from eating junk food.

That stuff is nothing but empty calories, anyway.

Same with criticizing Tomlin and/or saying he should be fired.

It doesn’t matter how many times you sit there on your couch and call for Tomlin to be terminated, it’s simply not going to happen. You’re just filling your belly with empty rage and leaving no room for healthy nutrients.

So why don’t you try fire fasting for the next 40 days?

No calling for Tomlin to be let go. No discussions of his recent postseason drought. No hashtags. No name-calling.

Forget about Tomlin’s coaching tree for the next six weeks. Abstain from all of that “Cowher’s players” jazz.

Just forget about Tomlin for a while.

They say something becomes a habit if you do it for 21 straight days. Imagine what happens if you give up criticizing a head coach for six weeks.

It has to be healthier for you, right?

Give it a shot. I’m offering you six weeks' worth of positive paint. Won’t you use it to create a more pleasant picture of the man who will eventually lead the Steelers to Seventh Heaven?